Two temperature refrigerator



March 18, 1952 G. K. lwAsHlTA TWOTEMPERATURE REFRIGERATOR Original Filed July 14, 1945 Jar);

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Patented Mar. 18, 1952 TWO TEMPERATURE REFREGER'TQE" Geor'geK. Iwashita,Nutley, N. J., assignor t'oAiiin` miraly Corporation; Chicago, lll., a corporation of Delaware 1 Original application July 14', 19743,` Serial- No'. 494,629. Divided and this application June-16, l 1950, Serial No. 168,597

, 4 Claims.

y This-invention relates' torefri'gerators and partio'ula'rly refrigerators of the typeV having two compartmentstof be maintained. at' different temperatures. This-'application isa' division of the copending application of' George K. Iwashta,

'I h'principalobject of this` invention is to provide` a'nlimproved' twok temperature, two compartment'- refri'ger'ator having a single refrigerant circulating system incorporating no valves! to c'goolffthetwof compartments to different temperatures.V

:Another o'bject is to provide improved refrigerator of thetwo *c 'eirip'e'raturegy two compartnienttypehaving'Vv a refrigerant circulating system adapted tobe removably inserted into the rfrigeratbr cabinet.

Another object isto provide an improved refrigerator of the typehaving a refrigerant circulating system'adapted to befremovablyv inserted into'a' refrigerator cabinet andarrangedto cool a eutectic brine tankr surrounding aportion of one of the compartments.

Other objectsV and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction withV the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figli is a front elevational viewY ofa refrigerator constructed according to the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a medial longitudinal sectional-view ofthere'frigerator shown in Fig'. 1 andillustrating the arrangement of the refrigerant circulating:Y`v system" and the brine tank the cabinet.

ln theld'rawing, the-reference character vHl indicates generally arefri'gerator incorporating the present invention and having a frost chest I2 and a' storageA compartment 'I flf disposed `ilrrn'n'e'diately therebelow. The frost chest is formed by a4 liner' IiV which is removably secured to a front frame I8. The'storagecompartment I4 is formed by a liner 20 which is xed tothe frame I8. AAn outer' metallic shell 22 is wrapped around' the frame I8' and enclos'es. then liners i6 and 2l) and a machinery compartment 24. The upper side of the machinery compartment is defined by a metallic panel 26 which is fastened to the frame I8 and the outer shell 22. The back of the cab.- inet is closed by a removable panel 28 which is secured to the shell 22 and panel 26 by means of screws 30.

The space between the liners I5 and 20 and between the liners I6 and 20 and the outer shell 22, bottom panel 26 and rear panel 28 is filled with a (or. s2-117.3)

2 suitable Ytlfierm'al insulating materialV 32 suchI as rock wool, balsa wool and the like..

The'front' of the cabinetrisclosed by a: door 36 which may be made` of spacedsheet metal panels with-the space therebetweenilledlwith athermal insulating material. The door is: provided' with a deformable gasket. Sligo'rr. itsinner face which seals' against. the. front. face; of, the refrigerator cabinet.Y The. machinery compartment 26 is closedv at, its forward faceby a decorative panel' 33.

The compartment: IAformedby the linerr 25 is partially surroundedl by ai. spaced sheetl metal wall li'ilwhi'ch hasits peripheraledge-secured in liquid-tight' relationzby'. any` suitable. means. tothe outer surface of' the liner 2U; Theouter surface of'the'liner 2Q and'thesheet' metal wall 4.0, therefore; form a" tank' 421whic'h'. is lledwith aeutecti'c brine.

The cooling of. the compartments: I2- and. I4 is accomplished by a re'frigera'tingv system 44 which includes a' compressor 46; condenser 48- and a pair of' series connected? evaporatorsi 50 and` 52. The inlet' to theevaporator 5llisconne'ctedf to the outlet from the condenser byfa capillary tube 5d and the outlet 'from the condenser 52 leads to an accumulator 5.6. w'h'icrrintuin is connected by a suction tube `5S' to? the inlet-of the compressor 46. The evaporator 50i is'of serpentine form and is secured inl heat exchange relation with the outer face of the liner It.v A heat transfer agenty having high thermal conductivity, such as metallic l?ermagurn-y a soft'ndn-oxidizing rhaterial impregnated with aluminumakes, graphite and the likemay be usedjto increase the thermal conductivity between the evaporator coilV 50 and the liner I6.

-The liner Iii andits associated tubing is secured in the cabinet by means of. a pair o f tensioned straps Si! which are securedv at their forward ends tothe. frame I3 and which have their rear ends fastened together by a detachable connector 62. The liner f6 is4v thus. held rmly against the frame I8 butriay readily be disconnected therefrom by opening'the connector 62'.

The evaporator coil 52 is secured in heat transfer relation to the outer surface of the sheet metal wall t@ of thevbrine tank 42 by a clamp or tensioned strap 64 and may be slid up from under the clamp E4 so that the evaporator portions 50 and 52 may be removed from the cabinet with the other parts of the refrigerant cir- V culating system.

It is clear that the two compartments I2 and IG are effectively cooled by the same refrigerating system. The frost chest I2 is refrigerated by exchange relation with the outer surface of the wall of the liner I 6. This compartment is maintained at temperatures substantially below freezing for the storage of frozen foods and for the freezing of foods and ice cubes. The lower evaporator 52 is in heat exchange relation with the metal shell 46 of the eutectic brine tank 42. The evaporator 52 maintains brine at a low temperature, and the brine in turn evenly cools the walls of the liner 20, thus maintaining the compartment I4 at a refrigerated temperature above freezing. The difference in sizes of the compartments and the indirect cooling of the compartment I4 through the brine provide a predetermined temperature between the compartments.

The evaporator 56 is removable from the refrigerator cabinet with the liner I6, while the evaporator 52 is detached from beneath the clamp 64 in order to be removed. In removing the refrigerating'system-from the cabinet, the back panel 28 is taken off and then a portion 66 of the insulation is removed so that access may be had to the removable refrigerant circulating system and tubing. After a sufcient amount of the insulation 66 has been removed, the connector 62 is unfastened and the liner I6 and its associated tubing 50 are removed from the cabinet out through the open back. The tubes 54 and 58 extend down inside the rear wall 28 and pass through a slot 56 in the bottom panel 26, the slot being covered With a plate68 which is removablysecured to the panel 26 by sheet metal screws 76. This plate 68 is removed with tubing. The compressor and condenser are detached from the frame inthe machinery compartment 24. The refrigerating system is replaced in the cabinet by reversing these steps.

While but a single embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent that numerous modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the inven- 1 tion, which is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired toy secure by United States Letters Patent is: 1. AV refrigerator comprising a liner which forms a loW temperature compartment, a second liner spaced from the iirst liner which forms a higher temperature compartment, the second liner being partially encompassed by a spaced sheet which forms with the wall of the liner a eutectic brine tank as a secondary refrigerating system, and a primary Vrefrigerant circulating system having an evaporator coil, said primary evaporator coil having a portion in heat absorb- ,ing relation with the low temperature compartsaid second liner beingpartially encompassed by a spaced sheet which forms with the wall of said liner a eutectic brine tank, and a refrigerant circulating system having an evaporator coil. said primary evaporator coil having a first portion in heat absorbing relation with said first liner and another portion in heat absorbing relation with the upper portion of said eutectic brine tank, said evaporator portions being connected in series.

3. A refrigerator comprising a liner to form a first compartment, a second liner spaced from said first liner to form a second compartment, said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment, said second liner being partially encompassed by a spaced sheet which forms with the wall of said liner a eutectic brine tank, and a refrigerant circulating system having an evaporator coil, said primary evaporator coil having a rst portion in heat absorbingrelation with said first liner and another portion in heat absorbing relation with the upper portion of said eutectic brine tank,

whereby the temperature in said first compartv ment is'substantially lower than the temperature in said second compartment.

4. Arefrigerator comprising a liner to form a iirst compartment, a second liner spaced from said first liner to form a second compartment. said second compartment being substantially larger than said first compartment, said second liner being partially encompassed by a spaced sheet which forms with the Wall of the liner a eutecti brine tank, and a primary refrigerant circulating system having an evaporator coil, said primary evaporator coil having a first portion in heat absorbing relation with said first liner and another portion connected in series with said first portion and in heat absorbing relation with the upper portion of said eutectic brine tank,'the relative sizes of the two compartments and the indirect cooling of said second compartment by said second evaporator portion through said brine tank causing the temperature in said first compartment to be substantially lower than the temperature in said second compartment.

GEORGE K. IWASHITA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

